JOSE, CAN YOU SEE

According to my friend Gordon Edes, on ESPNBoston.com, Jose Iglesias is ready to make his Major League debut with Boston. Marco Scutaro is injured and the Sox need a backup for Jed Lowrie. Iglesias is already a rich man (a reported 8 .25 million dollar deal) but he isn’t ready for Prime Time just yet. He hasn’t had an extra base hit. Hasn’t come close, in fact. While he makes the spectacular plays, seemingly effortlessly, he has made his share of errors at short this season. He is still working on the subtleties of becoming a star.

I know the Sox are somewhat forced into this move. Yamaico Navarro was placed on the disabled list with an oblique strain, but for all the talk of how deep they are at all positions, this one shows they’re not. Don’t get me wrong. Jose Iglesias is a very nice, humble young man. For all his flash and bravado on the field, Iggy is really just a kid off the field. He jokes around, grabs the P.A. microphone on the bus and sings. He playfully boasts about his Miami Heat and just talks trash with his buddies, like any other 21 year old. When asked, he will talk about leaving his family behind in Cuba. He will also talk about making ten dollars a month over there. He says Cuba is a good and beautiful place, filled with humble people. He doesn’t live there anymore, but it’s clear that a giant piece of his heart is still back home.

I’m not sure just how long Jose will be in Boston. Maybe he won’t play, maybe he will. I encourage all my fellow citizens of the Nation to remember that this s a young man, again, just 21. Not yet a finished product, but someone with tremendous potential. I think we are just loaning him out for the time being, but, you never know.

It’s remarkable that the battered and bruised PawSox are in contention. Heading into Sundays’ game with Scranton, our boys are just a game and a half out of first place. Arnie Beyeler is doing a great job holding things together in his first year at the helm in Pawtucket. He’s managing without Opening Day starters Ryan Kalish (shoulder), J.C. Linares (ligament damage to leg), Navarro (oblique). Pitchers Rich Hill and Alfredo Aceves are currently in the Boston bullpen and Scott Atchison is waiting to clear waivers. He’s also waiting for guys like Daniel Nava (hitting under .200) to heat up. Yet so far, so good. Losing Iglesias hurts the PawSox in the short term, but that’s the way it goes in this business. I wish Jose all the best, except when it comes to his beloved Miami Heat.